reviews

​Hayes Carll from the album What It Is available on Dualtone Records (by Julie Wenger Watson)Cleverly mixing the profane with the profound, Houston, Texas native Hayes Carll nails it once again with his sixth and latest release, What it Is. In twelve beautifully crafted and sonically pleasing tunes, Hayes Carll delivers a musical dissertation on love, religion, politics, relationships, and the human condition. It is a lot of ground to cover in a single album, and Carll does it so well with his signature blend of humor, intelligence and grace. The man can write – songs that bring you to tears, make you laugh out loud and occasionally squirm in recognition. While he’s a keen and insightful observer of modern American life, Hayes Carll’s sarcastic edge is frequently tempered with plenty of dry, self-deprecating wit and warmth. His brand of social commentary, blended with raucous honky tonk or heartfelt folk, goes down smoothly and leaves you coming back for more.‘You look like a tragedy that just hasn’t happened yet’ Carll sings in the opening words of “Be There”, summing up in a line what would take a lesser writer an entire song to convey. It’s a poignant love song, the kind at which Hayes Carll excels, his simple, yet sophisticated lyrics perfectly expressed in his country-inflected vocals. “Fragile Men”, set to a stark, haunting melody, complete with steel guitar and violin, is a none-too-subtle jab at his own gender in the era of the #metoo movement and shifting political power. The funny, blunt “Things You Don’t Wanna Know,” manages to address personal shortcomings, a guy’s perspective, lack of communication, and a troubled relationship, all in a short three minutes and eleven seconds while “None’ya” and “I Will Stay” are simply great love songs. Hayes Carll is a big talent whose songwriting skills are on par with the likes of John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett, John Prine and Jason Isbell, and What It Isattests to that.Listen and buy the music of Hayes Carll from AMAZONhttp://www.hayescarll.com